Combined air-compressor and explosive-motor.



No.676,349. l Patented lune Il, I90I.

F. H. BIASSE. y COMBINED AIR COMPRESSOR AND EXPLOSIVE MOTOR.

(Application mea Aug. so, 189s.) (No Modal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented :une u, |901. F. H. BlAssE.

COMBINED AIR COMPRESSOR AND EXPLOSIVE MOTOR.`

` .(Applicatiix led Aug. 30, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNrrnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS HENRI BIASSE, OF PARIS,FRANCE.

OM BIND AIR-'COMPRESSOR AND EXPLOSlVE-IVIOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 676,349, dated June 1 1, 1901. Application led August 30, 1893. Serial No. 689,839. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, FRANCIS HENRI BIAssE, engineer, of 255 Rue St. Honor, Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressorsand Explosive-Motors for the Propulsion of Motor-Cars, Ships, and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to air-compressors and explosive-motors combined, by which can be used in the place of steam as a source of energy and for all manufacturing purposes Y either gas, mineral oil, or hydrocarbons.

I employ the gas or mineral motor, properly so called,to generate compressed air, and I then use this compressed air as the motive iiuid in an ordinary receivingmotor. This system of generating mot-ive power offers the very great advantage of not requiring any furnace and only a very small space for storing considerable energy. The same operative parts as those used in steam-engines for changing speed and reversing the engine may be applied to it, so that it can be used for motor-cars, street-cars, for the propulsion of ships, for operating elevating and shipping apparatusin ports and elsewhere, and in general in all places where a powerful and compact generator is required.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and fi are respectively a sectional elevation, a plan view, and two transverse sectional views of a double-cylinder mineral-oil motor with its single-cylinder air-compressor. Fig. 5 is a view, on a larger scale, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the mechanism which controls the admission. Fig. 6 is a similar view concerning the exhaust. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the valveboxes on the line 7 7 of Fig. 2.

The motor comprises three cylinders ab c, placed end to end, and in which move three pistons d c f, mounted on a common pistonrod g. The piston-rod g is formed in two pieces keyed together at 14, so as to allow of easily mounting the several parts of the mechanism. The 'middle cylinder b'fis the compressing-cylinder. It is double-acting-that is to say, during each stroke of the piston it draws in atmospheric air behind the piston and at the same time drives forward the air drawn in during the previous stroke. The

valve-boxes 12 are cast with the cylinder b. Each incloses at its lower part a suctionvalve 10, and at its upper part a force-valve 1l. The former draws in atmospheric air through a hood made of Wire-gauze 13 in order to exclude dust or other foreign matter from the apparatus. Piston e of cylinder b has two packingl rings or segments 15 15,- cast in hard metal. It is mounted on a milled or roughenedconical shoulder e of the pistonrod g. The two hydrocarbon motive cylinders a and c, placed at the ends of the compressing-cylinder ZJ, are of the same diameter and single-acting. They use the energy produced by the ignition of the explosive mixture for actuating the compressor. tive gases are expanding and operating in one of said cylinders a orc the burned gases of the other cylinder arebeiug expelled. Therefore the operation of the two cylinders a and c is the same as that of a double-acting single cylinder; but the advantage obtained is in the abolition of the resistance and other objections due to the use of stuffing with the piston-rods where a single cylinder is operated.

The two motive cylinders a and c are each cast in one piece with a cylinder head or cover h or t, forming the covers of the compressing-cylinder b. These covers lit with precision in the body of the latter cylinder,whereby the concentricity of all three of these cylinders is secured without diflculty. Each of the covers h and h' carries atransverselydisposed flat part h2 or h3 for supporting the whole ona suitable base-plate. The cover of the cylinder ot is longer than the cover of cylinder c, because it must leave clearance for the hereinafter-described devices which control the distribution.

The pistons d and fof the motive cylinders have each three packing rings or segments 16. The lengths of these pistons d and f are greater than their diameters in order that they may be well guided and fit air-tight in their cylinders. They are mounted on the piston-rod g in the same manner as the compressing-piston c by bengfixed on a milled or roughened conical part e2 of the piston-rod g. One of the pistons d or f is constantly moved by the expansion of the gases, while the other piston d orf repels the'spent gases of its cylinder toward the escape into the While the mo- IOO ' boxes lo and Z.

1:2 `or 3 4 are of diameters somewhat differ` air. The piston-rod gis rendered air-tight at the rorices of vthe compressing-cylinder b by means of a metal stuffing formed by a slit rinffhavinv adouble ta erinffsurface t refb b C 3 erably of regulus, melting at 400o centigrade only.

Each of the motive cylinders a and c terminates at its outer end in a breech j, the ca pacity of which corresponds, or nearlyso, to 1 v the volume of explosive mixture introduced.

The ignition of the explosive mixture takes place soon after `the beginning of the stroke The 'proportion between the of the piston. capacity of the breech and the capacity of the whole cylinder` constitutes the rate of expansion.

' Each zbree'ch'is-cast in onezpiece, with trwo valve-.boxes fk andlplaced at the back, the box @being for the admission :and the "box Z for lthe escape of the gases. The said boxes kgan-d `Z are closed by screw-threaded covers 1818', having 4bronze stuiing for'the passage ofthe valve-rods 17 l17'. (See Figv.) The said valves are balanced and vheld to their seats by wea'k springs 29 and are each composed of two tapering valve parts in caststeel 1 2 and 3 4, mounted ata fixed distance non the same spindle 17 17 and resting on fa'double seat 2O 20', also of steel, and screwed in the inner casing 19 19" 4of the valve- The two tapering valve parts en1t,it'he result being that the effort to be exercised to bring about Vthe yopening of the valves is lonly equal yto the pressure which is exercised on asurface equal to the difference of the :sections of the valve parts,- whereby the'strain on `the parts operating .the valves is .reducedto a minimum.

.Fhe rbottom of the breech j, Vcommunicatin g with the admission-box 7a, is closed bya stopva-lve fm,,opening inwardly and kept in its seat .-by a weak spring'm'. During the `admission the stop-valve m opens under the pressure ofthe explosive mixture and then closes of iitself under-the pressure of the explosion. The object of the stop-valve m is to prevent yexcessive heating of the admission-valves,

and vespecially Ito 'prevent the propagation of the 4.ignition into the box k and into the ducts leading from y,the explosive mixture into the moti-.ve cylinder.

'IT-he upward movement of the ldistributingvalves is obtained in the following manner: Two-pitmen 21 21, Figs. 1 and 4, attached at a :point tothe piston-rod g toward the outer cylinder a, are pivoted Vto the end of the -rod p, .fixedly .attached to a` rocking spindle lo', which is guided in .the brackets q q on the forward cylinder-cover. Fig. 4 shows that the .rod p at its lower part embraces the piston-rod g by means of a fork or bifurcation 192., which carries the jointsor pivots of the pitmen 21. A recess above the cover of said forward cylinder a and between the-.two brackets q q lgives clearance to the rod p and leaves the same free to move. Two crank-disks r r' are xedly and symmetrically attached to the rocking spindle p', and two vpairs of pitmen s s', pivoted at one end to each of the plates r, operate at their other end valve-controlling mechanism, the pitmen s operating the distributing-valves 7c of the cylinders and the pitmen sthe escape-valves Z, Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6.

The controlling mechanism of the distribution is best shown in detail in Fig. 5. The pitman s is vpivoted to one end of a lever z, (see also Fig. 1,) the other end of which is pivoted to a iixed spindle o in bearings w fc, fixed by bolts to the end of each driving-cylinder. The said lever e' carries a pawl 22, kept back towardithe center of oscillation by a flatspring 23. During the rocking motion of the pitman s and the leverzthesaidpawl or vcatch 22 comes and catches ybehind a nose or lip 24 of a levert, pivotedalsoto thefspindle v and drawn downward by the action of a spring 25 on the main frame.` The saidlever t bears under `the :plate a, formed `at 'the top of the valve-rod 17.` When the flever ,e is drawn by the pitman s vinthe direction ofthe arrow, Vthe catch '22 `causes the levert to turn, whereby the distributing valve is raised. Furthermore, on the fixed spindle fu Ais :also iixedly mounted a cam 26, the projection27 of which can be previously set in the desired direction and then fixed-in position 'bygmeans of nuts y. The'said projection 27 of .the cam 26 `comes and disengages the catch `22 at the proper'time and without any jarring or shock, so that the lever t is returned to :its primary position by the spring y25,'the valve la closing of itself under the influence of .the pressure of the gases and the action of Vits contractingspringf29.

The distributing-valve must befopenduring a very small port-ion only ofthe stroke; but i-t is not the same in thatwhich concerns ythe escape-valve, which mustre'ma-in open'during almost the whole of the stroke. For .that purpose the plate to vof the valve-.rod 17 Fig. 6, can be raised byarm t' of the'bell-crank lever e" t' rocking on .a pivot o' in a vbearing cv". The other arm e" carries a `roller 22,operated by the movable cam 1, yloosely mounted on the spindle 3a and provided with a'lip 24'. rlhe said lip 24 is subjectedas herein'before described, to the direct action of the catch 22', having a spring 23', and which is carried `by the lever t2 of the pitman s". The form ofthe cam 1a is so predetermined as to move the part quickly up to an extent vcorresponding to thefull opening lof the valve, which'must be maintained during the Whole of the escape. When the disengagement takes place through the action of the fixed cam 26'., set and ixed in position by the clamping-nuts y', the movable Acam laris returned yto its primary position by its contracting-spring 25', the valve Z then being left toclose of itself.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Ico

les

izo

avec@ 3 A combined air-compressor and explosivedisks fr mounted on the said shaft; two pairs motor comprising two single-acting explosivef of pitmen s, s', pivoted each to one of the said cylinders a and c having inlet and exhaust disks, and mechanism actuated by the pitmen ports with valves controlling the same; a doufor controlling the operation of the Valves, 15

5 ble-acting compressor-cylinder b, placed besubstantiallyas set forth.

tween the said motive cylinders; one and the Signed at Paris, in the Republic of France, same piston-rod g on which the pistons d and this 28th day of July, 1898.

f of the motive cylinders and the piston e of FRANCIS HENRI BIASSE; the compressor-cylinder are mounted; the Witnesses: Io rod p connected to the said piston-rod; the CAMILLE BLTRY,

rock-shaft 19' actuated by the :rod p ,f the crank- EUGNE WATTIER; 

